Customer Reviews

Cuisinart SMO-56 Smooth Operator 56-Ounce Blender, Brushed Chrome

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This blender is amazing! I had a KitchenAid blender before which I thought was pretty good! Well was I ever wrong, this blender is powerful enough to:

1. Crush Ice with out being helped
2. Turn Skim milk into a thick drink, but not a shake
3. Make a perfect smoothie every time!

Some of the features I really like are:

1. The pour spout
2. The locking addition lid
3. The option to make it a regular blender or a smoothie blender
4. The stir stick - never had to use yet though!
5. POWER - and this baby is packing it!

This is not just an ordinary smoothie blender, this is a does it all blender- I have finally found a blender I am happy with! I only have one complaint - the base of the smoothie pitcher does not come off for cleaning without a screw driver! Other than taht cleanup is easy!

This is kinda deceptive. It's really rated at 600W. The 1500W only apply to "pulses." Therefore, only quick bursts is it's rated at 1500W, while the usual running is still 600W like any other blender. I don't like how the spout stick out, which I KNOW will eventually be knocked off and broken when I try to hand wash it. The blade is noisy, and not smooth, but overall it's okay.

However, I don't think it's worth the eighty dollars I just spent!!!!

Second Update: Now less than a year after purchasing this d*&# blender has another problem! The seal is worthless and as I blend my smoothies the blueberry juice comes seeping out of the blender housing onto the motor auger. Update: I've now owned this blender about one month and as I feared (see below) due to the cheap plastic of the pouring spout tap it has broken ALREADY! Thankfully, I can still use the blender with the spout cap but no longer can I conveniently pour from the tap! Also the plastic housing around the blades is cheap looking and already has a stain on it from the dishwasher (yes I put it on the top rack as the manual says is fine to do)
The other thing is right now I cannot unscrew the glass pitcher from the housing. I stil think it is a value, because the motor is big and heavy and powerful.

Pros:

The Price, The Price, The Price (That's why it's 4 Stars!)

Powerful Motor, I only need to pulse on High for a few seconds then I switch it to low

The stir stick is nice, I used cubed frozen food and this just allows the blender to have everything pushed toward the blades. But make sure you keep the top of the stir stick flush to the lid when pulsing on high or you will get splatter.

The pour spout. Easy pouring--would be great for families to all help themselves to smoothies, etc. I leave a spare glass under when it is down to the dregs and open the spout up and let it slowly drain the pitcher so I don't miss a bit before I wash it out. (see my caveat under cons)

You can place the parts (except for the valve ring) in the dishwasher.

Cons:

The first thing I noticed was when assembled with the glass pitcher with the lid on, it won't fit under my kitchen cabinets. I can just barely fit it without the lid (which I do) and I pull it out to use it and place the lid back on. This is strange. I would think most cabinets are set at a universal height. Our house is newer so I don't think we have some unusual set up.

The spout pourer is only good for things that are very blended. I was excited to try it for serving Margaritas at a dinner party and it just didn't work with the consistency of frozen margs. This may have been "workable" by putting in less ice.

Cleaning is a problem, now this may be common for higher end blenders (this is my first pricier blender) but I don't like having to unscrew the glass pitcher from the blade housing each time to clean in dishwasher. Sometimes the rubber valve gets squashed up inside if you don't screw it back on just right. This would be difficult to do if you had arthritis. It takes strength to put the glass pitcher in place and if you don't have it on properly, it will leak! I'm afraid each time I unscrew it from the blade housing it will slip out of my grip and break the glass. You can rinse out the pitcher add soap and water and run in on low then let it drain, but I think I still need to put it in the dishwasher every other time.

All in all, price considered, the pros outweigh the cons IF this blender has good longevity. (I've broken two cheap blenders in a year)

It has a very heavy motor housing, (not surprising considering the power) but it also is aesthetically lacking as it is very square in shape.

This smoothie maker is incredibly strong and breaks up ice in seconds. I had one of those "Back to Basics" smoothie makers before that ended up breaking and this one is much more powerful and the glass and chrome is much stronger than the plastic!

This item broke the very first time I used it. When I pushed the spigot back to release the drink the handle broke off, and you could see it was attached by a very cheap, weak piece of plastic.

I wanted a new blender that could make a good smoothie - my old one that I've had forever didnt have the power to do it. The Cuisinart looks great, delivers the power, and makes a fabulous smoothie. It powered through frozen fruit with no issues. The dispenser tap is a nice touch, but it's one more thing to clean. It's easier to just pour out the top. I'd use the dispenser if I was making margaritas for a crowd, but just for me, its easier to pour it out. The bottom unscrews for cleaning, and there is a silicone ring to clean, along with the pitcher and lid. Fairly simple to do. The glass pitcher is thick walled and sturdy. I'd highly recommend this product!

The "brushed chrome" is plastic. The spout leaks, and the motor burned out in one week. On top of that the store where I purchased it, Kitchen Kapers wouldn't let me return it saying it wasn't designed for drinks that require crushing ice. Why then do some of the recipes in the manual call for ice cubes?

I use it almost every day! It is fantastic and has saved me a fortune! Jamba Juice can get $$$$.

This thing is a piece of junk! It's the only blender I've ever seen that comes with a "stir stick" to unclog the sides of the jar (where the stuff all goes instead of into the blades). This should have been a clue that the thing wasn't very well designed, and it wasn't. It ALWAYS needed to be stirred when making any kind of smoothie, several times, which made the process a real pain. Also, the drain spout is a great place for food to hide and get nasty. Except for the jar it's pretty cheap plastic. But it's in the trash now because the couleing fried itself after two months. Good riddance!

i love this blender i have a lot of cuisinart things and i have to say this is great the only thing i did not like was the spout is plastic a little cheep for cuisinart and the jar has to be put on very tight or it will leak. but the work it puts out makes up for the bad.